DAISY DE VILLENEUVE INTERVIEW

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to oversee an interview of Daisy de Villeneuve that was being held by my lecturer to help us gain a better knowledge of journalism within the creative industry.

One of our current modules is about Journalism and the Fashion Publication Process so not only did it count towards university it was also something that I had a genuine interest in. The venue was in a small room within the university building where some of her work was displayed on a wooden unit and dim lighting was used, to create a much more relaxed atmosphere. 

Daisy is an illustrator and has collaborated with the likes of TopShop and Vogue in the past, she has her own unique style and more information can be found over at http://www.daisydevilleneuve.com.

INSPIRATION #1

Like I've mentioned in my previous post I use Tumblr & Pinterest a lot to gather different bits of inspiration or to generally find imagery that motivates me.
Instead of just reblogging or pinning imagery to my blogs and forgetting about them, I've decided to make a post every so often and select a few images that stand out to me.
It can be a way of looking back through my blogs and getting more ideas and also creating a nice series for myself to look back on.

Tumblr & Pinterest

DOMINIK TARABANSKI

I'm going to start doing a range of posts on different fashion designers, photographers, stylists, basically anything that inspires me that I can look back upon in the future.

I've loved looking back upon both my tumblr and pinterest so I figured it might be nice to have the odd bit of research on my blog too, I can spend hours on end with my head in books or magazines!

First post is dedicated to the Photographer - Dominik Tarabanski.

INSPIRATION

As some of you may or may not know, one of my biggest passions is currently fashion photography, I have done a few shoots in the past and assisted on others. One of my main goals for this summer and over the next few years is to help improve my knowledge and develop my skills towards something I'm passionate about. 

To help think of ideas and become inspired I look at previous fashion shoots, editorials and advertisements amongst other things. I have found both Pinterest and Tumblr the best for this and I decided that I wanted to dedicate a post to them on my blog. 

If anyone uses either of these sites or a similar style of website then let me know and I'll check them out, even if it's not a similar style to the clips above as I like to broaden my knowledge.

TUMBLR | PINTEREST

DIY - UNISEX LEVIS SHORTS FOR UNDER £5

Obviously it's the time of year when the weather starts to get that little bit nicer and it's time to get the summer clothes out. 

I've always wanted a pair of denim shorts but I refuse to pay £30 for a pair from Topman or Urban Outfitters, because of this I've decided to put together a little tutorial on making your very own pair of Levis denim shorts!

What you need -

- Levis denim jeans (They don't have to be Levis, or even denim, you can always grab an old pair of trousers that you won't wear again)

- Ruler 

- Scissors

- Pen / Fabric Pencil 

To start with you need to gather your materials, I managed to pick my jeans up in a charity shop for £4.99, looking in charity shops is normally the best thing to do if you're wanting to do this. You can easily grab a size that fits you and if you're wanting to experiment with bleaching or even try this out on a pair of jeans that you don't like as much in case you make a mistake, you wont waste too much money.

You now need to lie your jeans on a flat surface so that you can measure the inner and outer leg to make sure both sides match up. This is where you'll decide how you want your shorts to look, mark each side till you're happy. To help with this I used an old pair of shorts to get the rough length that I like then added a few more centre meters as I wanted to turn the bottoms up a little bit.

I normally put the jeans together to check that the straight lines join together before cutting along them, I wouldn't worry too much about this if you're turning the bottoms up or even distressing them slightly, only if you were thinking of leaving the harsher edge.

And there we go, a pair of Levis denim shorts! I would recommend adding a stitch or two in the inner and outer leg if you're going to be turning the bottoms up like me just to keep everything in place, but that's totally optional and you can tweak or change anything you like, the length, distressing, bleaching or even stitching onto them.

Hope you found this post helpful and I've added a before and after photo above incase it will help anyone. 

I managed to take the last photos using my remote shutter for my camera so hopefully once I get used to it a bit more I can start to post on lookbook, fingers crossed. It'll be a challenge to not get my cat in every photo though as you can see him peeking through in the background a few times!

LIEBSTER AWARD

A few days ago I was nominated  by the lovely Boonya to take part in something called the 'Liebster Award'.

I wasn't too sure what it was but after reading a few I get the idea behind it, so why not have a go! It's basically an award that you complete yourself and nominate up to 11 other blogs with less than 200 followers, within the award you have to tell a little about yourself and ask a few questions for other people to answer.

The rules if you want to complete the award yourself -

1) Mention who nominated you for the award.

2) Each person nominated must list 11 different things about themselves.

3) Answer 11 questions that the previous tagger has left you.

4) Create your own 11 questions.

5) Tag up to 11 people.

11 Things about me -

1) I'm 19.

2) I live in the North-East of England.

3) I'm going to study Fashion Communication at University in September.

4) I currently have a part time job in a shop called Office, I also work with a photographer named Sarah and also volunteer part time at a charity shop called Sue Ryder.

5) I love green tea, photography, fashion, graphic design, food and cats.

6) From my love of food, cooking is one of my favourite things to do.

7) I have been a Peskitarian for 6 years (I don't eat meat but I still have things like Fish, Eggs, Milk etc)

8) I would like to see myself as a hard working person who comes across as helpful and reliable. 

9) One day I want to live in London.

10) Owning my own house and decorating it exactly how I want it is definitely one of the things I'm the most excited for.

11) Although I only learnt a small amount of French in school I'd love to try to learn another language.

Questions from Boonya - 

1) What is your favourite clothing brand?

I think I'd have to go with Topman, whenever I need something and I'm in a rush it's the store I'd go to. Should it be a shirt, pair of jeans or even a pair of socks I know that I can run in and grab something that I like.

2) Which country would you like to visit the most?

I'd have to say America, it's been somewhere that I've always wanted to visit. A road trip to visit all the different states would be my idea of a perfect trip.

3) Do you play any musical instrument?

When I was younger I used to play the Piano but I've stopped over the years, I can probably remember a thing or two though!

4) Imagine you have £100,000 to spend, What would you spend it on?

I'd sort out the question above and probably visit America and Italy too. Once that was sorted I'd like to learn how to drive, spend a bit of money on upgrading my camera. I plan to try and spend a few summers down London gaining a bit more experience so I'd use some of it there and obviously spend a bit on some clothes! With the remainder I'd be safe and keep most of it for my first house or flat. 

5) Your best childhood memory?

When I was younger and we used to visit Disney Land in France, I have so many memories of all the rides and spending some amazing time with my Mam and Nana.

6) Your favourite ice-cream flavour?

Haagen-Dazs, Pralines & Cream, hands down!

7) Would you rather go skiing or scuba diving?

Scuba Diving, it's been one of those things I've always wanted to do and I've been fascinated with sea life for as long as I can remember.

8) What is your dream job?

I honestly don't know at the moment, definitely something within Fashion. At the moment I'd think either Fashion Photography, something within Publishing or the business side of Retail such as buying or merchandising. This is one of the main reasons I'm going to university, to improve my knowledge on different areas within fashion and hopefully decide on what I want to do.

9) What made you start a blog?

It's been something I've always wanted to do, I wanted somewhere to be able to post about different designers, DIY projects, post some photography. Plus, there isn't all that many menswear bloggers out there so I thought I'd help change that!

10) What is your must-have item in your handbag (apart from purse/wallet, phone and keys)?

I'd have to be quite boring and say a bottle or two of water.

11) Could you describe your blog in three words?

Fashion, Menswear, Creative!

My questions - 

1) What is your favourite fashion designer?

2) What would be your favourite meal of all time?

3) If someone came to visit where you live, where would you say they'd have to see before leaving?

4) Do you see yourself blogging in 5 years time?

5) You had the chance to create your own TV show - what would it be about?

6) What is your favourite animal?

7) What is the one item of clothing that you couldn't live without?

8) You can pick any job in the world right now and you'll be given it, what would it be?

9) Would you rather have a small modern flat in the middle of the city or a massive house in the country side?

10) If you had the chance to learn another language from a country or cook traditional food from another country, what would you pick?

11) Finally, how would you explain your blog to someone else in three words!

The people who I also nominate for this award are - 

Enn Franco Says 

Braids & Blouses

Alex Rocks 

ElliottEdward

TheSuckerForFashion

(L)ife.(E)ats.(F)ashion.(T)ravel.

If I've tagged you I hope you enjoy answering the questions and let me know once it's done, if I follow you and I've not tagged you then let me know and I'll add you to the list!

WORLDWIDE WARDROBE 2013

Recently I was tagged to take part in the Worldwide Wardrobe competition by David, after reading up on it I decided it's definitely something I wanted to have a go at.

If anyones never heard of the competition before it's something that was set up by Travel Supermarket and its a chance to win £200 to buy your winning outfit and a trip to the destination the outfit was picked for. There were 5 different destinations to pick from and you could pick a range of clothes for one or all five of the destinations, the only catch is you have to come under £200 for your outfit and explain why you've picked it for that specific destination.

When you enter you have to nominate another 5 people to take part in the competition to help spread the word, so here are my 5 picks -

Elliott

Ian

Joseph

Sarah

Kelly

Even if i've not tagged you, you can still enter by clicking here. Without anymore blabbering, here are my picks.

Sunglasses: Topman, £10.00.

Polo Shirt: Zara, £19.99.

Shorts: ASOS, £22.00.

Shoes: Office, £100.00.

Belt: H&M, £12.99.

Watch: ASOS, £20.00.

Bracelet: ASOS, £15.00.

Total: £199.98

When putting together the outfit for Ibiza I wanted to make sure it was something that would work for the evening and still look good throughout the night. I picked the Polo Shirt for the fact it's light and I won't get too warm, and obviously for the print, I'm a sucker for anything thats floral or tropical print of some sort on a shirt and this is no exception. As the shirt is so bright I teamed it up with a black pair of chino shorts so that they still look smart and with a tan belt to tie in with some of the more neutral tones. I'll also style the shirt tucked into my shorts so that it looks quite smart. I've also picked a pair of Timberland boat shoes - although these are expensive for going out in they're leather so if they do get mucky they shouldn't be too bad to clean up with a bit of soap and water, plus, there's no better combination than Ibiza and boat shoes. 

The plain watch and bracelet will add an extra something without being over the top and I love the added yellow colour from the watch, once again helping to tie in with the statement polo shirt. Finally I added a pair of brown patterned sunglasses as it will hopefully be sunny in the evening and because, well, I never really have much of a chance to wear sunglasses over in Englad! 

T-Shirt: Zara, £19.99.

Jeans: Topman, £36.00.

Shoes: Solestruck, £135.09.

Watch: Amazon, £7.41.

Total: £198.49

The main priority of shopping in London for me was to be comfortable and in clothes that are lightweight and hassle free for when I'm bounding around from shop to shop. 

If anyone knows me at all they'll know I've been in love with printed T-Shirts over the past few months and I'm definitely wanting to nip in Zara and grab this one. The material is very lightweight so it will keep me cool throughout running around and I'll probably get it in a size or two too big so that it's slightly oversized and baggy. Although I have a total love hate for these jeans in Topman I've decided that they'd be perfect for shopping in London, they never seem to last more than a few weeks for me but while I have them they fit me perfectly and they're so comfortable so I couldn't turn them down. 

Finally, these shoes. I have had my eye on these for far too many months and just never been able to justify the price of them. Due to the cut out areas they'll be able to keep my feet cool but also be comfortable throughout the day, I love the contrast of the cut out with the thick and heavy buckles, definitely need these at some point.

Sunglasses: River Island, £10.00.

Shirt: H&M, £7.99.

Blazer: Topman, £80.00.

Belt: American Apparel, £13.00.

Shorts: Topman, £24.00.

Shoes: ASOS, £40.00.

Watch: ASOS, £25.00.

Total: £199.99

I wanted to go for a very smart look for New York, after all it is one of the most amazing cities and I'd feel a bit bad going out in a T-Shirt and a pair of shorts on a night! 

While putting together a smart outfit I also wanted to keep it quite classic and timeless, I started with a neutral tweed blazer with a classic white short sleeved shirt under it. The shirt will help me to keep a bit cooler from the thick blazer but also work really well with the neutral blazer. 

For SS13 short suits have been very popular and I've loved a few different collections featuring them, because of this I decided to try and create a high street alternative using a pair of chino shorts from Topman so that they have a very simplistic and clean finish with a neutral belt. 

For accessories I picked a simple black watch as it will suit the rest of the outfit without being too over the top, and of course a pair of brown sunglasses. 

Black loafers will help to tie off the entire outfit and really give an emphasis to a classic menswear look. 

Sunglasses: ASOS, £8.00.

T-Shirt: H&M, £4.99.

Bomber Jacket: Weekday, £85.00.

Shorts: Topman, £24.00.

Belt: H&M, £12.99.

Watch: ASOS, £15.00.

Shoes: Office, £47.99.

Total: £197.97

I finally found somewhere I can mention this amazing bomber jacket I found, and I'm going to be honest, I did base the entire outfit around it. 

While in paris I want to be cool and comfortable when wandering around, classic high top converse will help with this along with a pair of comfortable black shorts and a white T-Shirt. The black watch and belt will help to make the outfit slightly more interesting without going over the top. I wanted to keep the entire outfit monochrome so that when teamed with the bomber jacket it's obvious where the attention is supposed to be at! Although I mentioned about being too warm and I've given myself a jacket it's made out of a lightweight fabric so it won't keep me too warm, and even if I had to carry it for a while the pattern will still be visible. 

FINAL MAJOR PROJECT

Incase any of you have missed my past few posts that had a blabber about me stressing for college, it's finally over! Summer is here and I've got more time to work on this blog, far too excited. As promised, I'm going to show you all a couple of shots I took for my final project. 

I'm currently doing an Art & Design foundation diploma and I've specialised in Fashion before starting my Fashion Communication degree in September. For my project I decided to make one garment (In this case the faux leather skirt that Alex is modeling) and then have a final shoot and a marketing book within my project as my final piece.

Alex is currently an aspring model who is based within the Newcastle area, I knew roughly how I wanted the shoot styled and she was definitely perfect for the job, without her I definitely wouldn't have been as proud with the final shots. For my studio shoot I also had a bit of help from my friend Sarah who's a Newcastle based photographer that I work with, she's helped me ridiculous amounts over the past 7 months that I've been helping her out so definitely drop by her website.

I've included a few of my final photos below, some are edited slightly as there were used as experimentation pages but I'm still very pleased with the results. 

Overall I'm very pleased with how the shoot turned out, as it was my first fashion shoot I was a bit worried about how everything would turn out but overall I feel very pleased and it's definitely something that isn't just going to be a one off - fashion and photography, I don't think there's a better combination!

Once again, please check out Sarah and Alex as it wouldn't have been the same without them!

KIEHL'S - OIL-FREE GEL CREAM

Now, if a few months ago someone said to me that you'll be sat in your garden trying to take a photograph of a tub of moisturizer to then write about and post on an online blog for people to read about I'd have said you're completely bonkers. And now here I am...

If anyone knows me they'll know the trouble I've had over the past years with my skin, I've had very bad acne since around year 9/10 in school (6 or so years) and it has pretty much continued ever since. It's very very verrry rare a skin product actually does what it's supposed to do and for once I found something that did just that!

While I was down in London the other week I popped into the Kiehl's store and questioned about my skin as it flared up again, possibly the worst its ever been, and asked if they had anything to recommend. I was given a sample of this product and by the time I'd finished the sample (it lasted around a week) it had calmed my skin down and just generally made me look a lot healthier.

My skin has never responded to a product so well, especially not one that wasn't even aimed towards acne. What I did get told was that sometimes by using a mixture of very strong cleansers, moisturizers, spot treatment etc that you can take too much of the good things out of your skin, it then overcompensates and often makes the case worse. Makes sense!

Anyway, before I ramble much more I just wanted to share this product with everyone because it definitely deserves a bit more attention. 

Not to mention the amazing staff at Kiehl's, I even got a lovely little handwritten note with the store number that I could contact if I needed anymore help or advice. 

Ultra Facial Oil-Free Cream, Kiehl's, £28.

SHOES SHOES SHOES

Quite a few months ago I started a job at Office and ever since then I've noticed that my love for shoes has gradually gotten stronger and stronger.

So I decided for a change to let you all know my top 4 most worn pair of shoes at the moment, I personally think shoes are one of the biggest parts of an outfit, it can either top it off or completely ruin it.

1) Dr Martens, 1460, Black, £89.99.

I can't quite put into words how much I love these boots, over the past few weeks they have literally saved my feet from snow, rain, wind, every condition imaginable! These boots are so comfortable once broken in and with a pair of thick socks there's no better combination, it's a shame its taken my 19 years to finally find a pair of shoes that are suitable for the winter months but that also go with pretty much every outfit imaginable. I'm even quite excited for the summer to try and have a mess around with a few pairs of shorts and see what I can come up with!

2) Nike, Air Max 1, Black Anthracite, £96.99.

For quite some time I've been after a pair of air max and when we got a delivery of these I just had to grab a pair straight away. First of all, the little icon of the image doesn't justify how these look in person, but they look amazing with a pair of solid black socks & jeans paired up with an oversized shirt and a denim jacket. I absolutely love wearing these shoes not to mention how comfortable they are, the only negative is that with them being suede they're not the best in bad weather so I've not been able to wear them as much as I wanted to, but once summer is here (Will we even have a summer?!) I'll definitely never have these off my feet!

3) Ask the Missus, Uranus Brogue, Navy and Orange, £69.99.

I've been wanting these shoes for far too long now, we always had them in the shop where I worked but we never got a delivery of them in my size. So the other week when I was in London I decided to pop into the Oxford Street store and grab a pair of these, and they were definitely worth the wait! I love teaming these up with a bright pair of socks and a pair of black jeans, the pop of orange is definitely what makes this shoe and can totally brighten up an entire outfit. Not to mention, they are so comfortable it's not even believable - in fact, they've impressed me so much I've even ordered another pair in the grey & yellow, definitely worth checking out!

4) Ask the Missus, Chatterbox Brogue, Tan, £69.99.

What can I even say about these brogues, for starters, every man needs a pair of brogues in his shoe collection, they can be dressed up or down and are suitable for pretty much every occasion. These ones in particular stood out to me because of the fact the toe was quite rounded, (I have quite small feet, so the brogues that have a slightly pointed toe just make me look like a clown) but they were still lengthened just that perfect amount as to not make it look like I have tiny feet. Basically, they're the perfect size and proportion for my body! Anyway, these are so comfortable and I know if I'm out the house all day and I chuck these on in the morning they're still going to be comfortable in the evening when I get home.

So there we go, a few pairs of my most worn shoes at the moment and I would recommend them to anyone and everyone in a heartbeat!

On a side note - I'm currently looking for a few new pairs of jeans, I swore by the spray on skinny range in Topman but apparently it's being discontinued and a few of my pairs from there have ripped and just really not been the best of quality. If anyone knows of any really slim fitting jeans and of a descent quality, it'd be great if you could let me know!

FASHION SHOOT FOR TKMAXX

As some of you may or may not know, I currently have a placement with a Newcastle based photographer, Sarah Deane. Over the past few months I've been helping out on the odd shoot and helping to update the website, just basically doing general bits and bobs, and I've loved every minute of it.

Recently Sarah was contacted by an agency in Manchester and was given a brief to create a fashion shoot on the Tyne and Wear Metro for TK Maxx. 

Due to being Sarahs assistant I was asked to take part in the shoot and assist with lighting as it was going to take place during the day on a fully working, public filled, Metro! 

The shoot was a massive success and the photos turned out amazingly well, there were a few last minute switches with trying to catch the right metro carriage and trying to fit the photography, hair and makeup, styling and a few representatives from the agency in Manchester onto the metro, but everything went well in the end!

Below are a few of the final photos and a behind the scenes shot.

The fashion shoot was to help boost the advertising of the new TK Maxx store that has recently opened on Northumberland Street in Newcastle, and what better way of doing so?!

UPDATES AND LONDON

I suppose I should start by explaining why I've not been posting so much! 

Basically it was getting to the time of year in my course where it was very deadline heavy so I had to spend all my spare time doing my college work. I've also been busy doing some exciting experience with a local photographer (Post due soon!) and then most recently I took a trip to London.

I'll try to keep blogging as much as possible as I really do love it, but there may be a few gaps in posts over the next few weeks as its our final project this year, so apologies in advance.

Anyway, I've never really been to London before, I went when I was younger and I can't really remember all that much, so I really wanted to go again. The weekend was originally booked for a university interview, but I had second thoughts on the university and decided on elsewhere, so because of that I then swapped hotels and decided to go for a weekend of shopping and a spot of sight seeing, basically I was one of those people who were fascinated by glittery union jack top hats and constantly had a camera glued in front of my face.

I've included some photos I took during the weekend and I'll be putting another post up soon on what I bought and hopefully have time to do a few outfit posts I've been wanting to do!

RIHANNA FOR RIVER ISLAND

Rihanna has finally released her campaign with River Island.

The photographs above were inspired by the 90s, along with the entire collection itself and was photographed by the one and only, Mario Sorrenti. Mario is most known for his nude shoots that have previously been displayed in both Vogue and Harper's Bazaar.

Rihanna created the collection with help from Adam Selman and River Island, judging by the reaction from the unveiling at London Fashion Week the collection is sure to be a massive hit.

The collection includes maxi dresses, crop tops, baggy jeans, basically everything that Rihanna could wear herself or has been spotted wearing in the past, you'll find something similar in this collection!

From the cut of the clothing to the styling of the photography shoot, I don't think Rihanna could have put her personal stamp on the collection anymore than she already has.

All about the Beckhams!

Well what can I say, it seems like the Beckhams are in the limelight at the moment from Davids recent H&M campaign through to Romeo being featured in Burberrys newest advertisement ready to be published in British Vogue. Finally it's Victorias turn who has produced her, simply amazing, Autumn Winter 2013/2014 collection.

Throughout the recent years within the fashion industry Victoria has definitely stood her ground while up against some of the bigger fashion houses. Each collection has continued to become better and better, and this year is no exception.

The collection has a very British feel about it including a glimpse of tweed among Victorias very first attempt at knitwear.
Mid length pencil skirts were featured throughout with a small slit at the front and a zip running down the back to help elongate the figure, most pieces were synched at the waist to create a stunning silhouette.
To tie the collection together certain outfits were styled with a very simple but well designed duffle bag. The bags were carried under the arm in a similar way to how Victoria has been spotted while out and about in London over the recent months.

Overall, this collection is a massive hit with me. I personally love anything that has a burst of colour or a structured yet simplistic design, and Victoria has achieved both of these, and I still believe that the best is yet to come!

Images from style.com

DIY - Tie Dye!

Tie Dye has been one of those things I've always wanted to have a go at but never actually got round to doing it, but this time I actually did it!
The other day me and my friend Joe decided to grab a bunch of dyes and a few white T-Shirts and have a try, I decided to take a few photos along the way so I could create a little guide incase any of you were looking at trying it out but needed a little bit of help.

What you need -

- T Shirts (Or whatever you want to dye)

- Dye

- Elastic Bands

- Bottles with some sort of nozzle

- Bucket

- Water

- Newspaper or bin bags (Optional, used to protect the surface while mixing dye)

- Gloves

Step 1)

Grab whatever you want to tie dye, the lighter the colour garment then the brighter the dye will be, however, there's no harm in grabbing a few coloured shirts and having a little experiment! You could always try bleaching the garment first to remove a bit of the colour.

In this case I decided to grab a few plain white T-Shirts from Primark for £2.50, I didn't want to start on anything more expensive as it's something I'd never done before, plus the basics from Primark are normally pretty descent for the price.

Step 2)

I was using Dylon die, so from now on the instructions were according to what the packet gave us. I had to wash or soak the T-Shirts for a bit at first, I'm guessing to remove the dirt or if there's any chemicals left on the fabric, but that could be a total lie and I've just convinced myself!

Step 3)

Now add the dye to warm water and stir it a few times to help dissolve the leftover powder, then mix together water and 250g of salt, finally mix the two together to make the dye. Repeat this a few times or till you've mixed up all the different sachets of dye. 

Step 4)

Once the dye was made I then poured it into separate bottles and labeled them. For the bottles I actually used some empty washing up liquid containers as they had a little nozzle on the top, although in the end I then had 9 empty bottles and a spare 4.5 litres of washing up liquid. 

Maybe not the best idea I've ever had!

Step 5)

Take the damp shirts and tie them with elastic bands in whatever pattern you want to achieve. For this I'd just google tie dye patterns or something similar, there's literally hundreds and I just went for a few that seemed to be the easiest as I'd never done it before.

Step 6)

Go outside or anywhere that's easiest to clean, away from anything you care about getting ruined and then start to squirt the dye onto your fabric. 

Be as adventurous or as safe with the colours as you want, remember that with some dyes the colours will mix, so blue and red will make purple, etc.

Maybe don't follow exactly in my footseps as I decided to do this in the afternoon as by the time I started to add dye outside it was pitch black so I had literally no idea what colour I was adding to what bit of my T-Shirt! 

Once you've finished adding colour then simply follow the remainder of the instructions on the back of you're die packet, for me it was just a rinse with cold water and then stick the T-Shirts in for a warm wash!

And there you go, a nice little guide on Tie Dye!

I'd definitely recommend anyone who's been wanting to do this for a while like me, to go ahead and do it. It's so easy and if you grab a few friends too, it can be a laugh. 

I'll keep you updated with how they turn out once the final wash is finished and they've been ironed by doing an outfit post, or something similar.

Good Luck to anyone who is off to give this a go, I hope I helped everyone, feel free to comment and link me to your tie dye'd clothes!

February Wants!

1) Zara, Sweater with faux leather.

I absolutely love Zara, the clothing can sometimes be a bit on the pricy side but it's honestly not bad when compared to the quality and the fit. As soon as I saw this sweatshirt I just needed it! If anyone knows me, they'll know I love block colours, and this is basically the same but with fabric, simplistic but well done! This could also be a very versatile addition to my wardrobe, I could style it with a white shirt under with some jeans and have a very smart look or wear it on it's own with a pair of jeans or even shorts. Due to it being a very classic style I'm sure it would be wearable for quite some time! £29.99

2) Levis, 8 line shirt.

Recently I've had an increasing love for Levis shirts. I grabbed one a few weeks ago in the sales and it's instantly turned into one of my favourite items of clothing.

When shopping for shirts from Levis I often find my favourite cut is the original or slim fit, for me they then end up a bit baggy and oversized - but not to the point where it looks like I can't buy clothes that fit. I then stick it on with a pair of skinny jeans and whatever shoes I fancy, because of the fact the shirt is oversized it creates a smart but very relaxed look, I can tell I'm going to end this year with far too many of these shirts! £55.00

3) American Apparel, Fisherman's Pullover.

For me AA is one of those shops where I constantly check their site to see for new items added and pop into a shop whenever I'm near one and normally fall in love with a few things every time, without fail!

I've had my eye on this jumper for quite a while now, because of its slight pattern and simple colour I can match it up to pretty much every pair of jeans I own and put together an outfit that looks well put together and thought out, when really I just flung things on last minute before I'm running out the door! £66.00

4) Air Jordan, 4 Retro.

Where to even start with these! 

Basically I started a new part time job a few months ago in Office and my love for shoes has just slowly gotten bigger and bigger and bigger. In the past I normally wore brogues or vans, quite a simple choice really, but since working with shoes, pretty much on a daily basis, my love for every style and colour possible has increased massively. I've had my eye on Jordans for quite a while now and every time I see someone wearing a pair I get massively jealous. 

I may not get these this month, but in the future I will own a pair, you just watch! Around £105.00

Newest Additions from David Beckham.

David Beckham, 37, was previously the captain of the England football team but recently he has collaborated with H&M. 

The photos (right) were posted by David himself on his personal facebook account. They show a sneaky peak into his 2013 spring / summer collection that is currently available to the general public. 

So far David has received nothing but positive feedback after receiving over 310,000 likes across both of the images.

Hopefully David continues to collaborate with H&M in the future, more additions to his bodywear collection will definitely not go unnoticed.






Don't forget to check out the new advertisement to help promote the range!

Images from TheDailyMail.

Cara Delevingne for British Vogue.

Cara is currently 20 and has already been the face of Burberry's spring / summer 2011 and 2012 campaigns, not only that, but Cara has been used within advertising campaigns for Zara, H&M and Chanel. 

The list is endless and exciting for what Cara has already achieved and it won't be narrowing down any time soon.

In March she has landed her very first cover on British Vogue. Known for her energetic and loving personality she recently said to Vogue - 

"It doesn't really sink in until you actually see it, that cover, that actual magazine, Vogue - it's so great," she said. "Especially the March issue, it's the big fashion issue, so it's going to be pretty amazing. I'm going to run out of the shop with 20 copies in my hands, going: 'Oh my God, this is me! Oh my God!'"

Top 5 Aftershaves!

Quite recently I noticed that I had quite a little collection of aftershaves and obviously I was reaching for a certain few more than others. So I've decided to make a post on my top 5 to show a few of my favourites.

Although a fragrance can be a very personal thing I think it's important to have a little delve into trying something new once in a while, so here are my top 5 aftershaves that might give a few of you some ideas!

1) Yves Saint Laurent, La Nuit de L'Homme.

This is my most recent addition to my collection but definitely one of my favourites. Aftershaves that are normally classed as 'night time' fragrances tend to be a lot stronger and longer lasting, because of this I can put this aftershave on at the beginning of the day and still smell it on my clothes by the end. The scent is quite rich and spicy, but also has a slight sweet smell once it's been worn for a while. I managed to pick this up just after christmas in Boots as part of a set with an aftershave balm and shower gel. (£46 for 60ml)

2) Paco Rabanne, One Million.

I'll be pretty surprised if everyone hasn't seen / heard about this fragrence, it is definitely my most worn and theres a reason for it! This aftershave smells, well, just basically, amazing. I stick this on if I'm late and running to college or even if I'm going on a night out, It suits every occasion imaginable and never fails to get noticed. (£40 for 50ml)

3) Giorgio Armani, Acqua Di Gio.

Acqua Di Gio is definitely my second go-to aftershave, it's very light but long lasting. The easiest way of describing this scent basically a summers day mixed with citrus fruits, definitely one to grab if you're away on holiday or on those soon to be here British sunny mornings! 

A few squirts of this and you're good to go all day! (£48 for 50ml)

4) Gucci, Gucci.

'Masculine' is basically the only way to describe this fragrance, my only slight bug with it is that I don't find it lasts very long on me at all. If I put it on in the morning it's gone within a few hours and theres barely any trace of it. Despite this it's still made it into my top 5 because it really does smell amazing and as you might be able to tell by the photograph above, it's nearly all gone! (£44 for 50ml)

5) Chanel, Bleu De Chanel.

Luxurious, Masculine, Exciting and Addictive are the best words to describe this fragrence. Absolutely everything about this aftershave, packaging and all, it's just spot on. 

One of the best things about this aftershave is once it's applied you feel like you've given yourself a real treat with not only how it smells but the solid glass bottle and magnetic lid, and for the price it just gets even better. (£45 for 50ml)

So there you go, my top 5 aftershaves! I hope it's given you all something to think or even try next time you're after something new to try.

Don't forget to follow me on my new blog over at www.sprksam.com